Save the date

Please save the date for this event:

7 May - Tennis tournament (14 May in case of bad weather)

Information will follow later this year.

Dutch elections: The bigger picture

Wednesday 8 March 2017

Elections often mean change. Recent results of the Brexit vote and the election of Donald Trump indicate that people are looking for change. On Wednesday 15 March, the Dutch get their say and will vote for the representatives in the Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal. Will they vote for change or will the Netherlands largely continue as before?

Join us for an evening where we look at these elections in a broader perspective with Robert Portier, Journalist and NOS Correspondent, and Michael Every, Economist and Head of Financial Markets Research Asia-Pacific at Rabobank.

Big changes could be afoot as Geert Wilders, leader of the PVV (Party for Freedom) is leading in the opinion polls. Some may argue that the recent results in the UK and US went against the opinion polls, others may argue even more people voted for the 'extreme right' than were willing to admit to the pollsters. Have the other parties managed to tune into the mood of the electorate and connect with voter concerns? What will be the consequences if Geert Wilders' party were to become the largest political party? And, what are the possible or likely combinations of parties forming a coalition government?

Beyond the Netherlands, how do the Dutch elections sit in a global context? What are the changes taking place globally at an economic level which any new government would need to deal with? And how do these elections sit in a European context with several other nations, including Germany and France, going to the polls soon. What is the future of the European Union now that it is under attack from within as well as from the UK and the US?

Please see this link for more information about Robert Portier and Michael Every. Doors open from 6:15pm. Please be present by 6:45pm, the presentation starts at 7pm sharp.

Throwback Thursday

We invited our Corporate Members yesterday for a breakfast session, hosted by Hilton Sydney, with James Michael, Head of Leadership Development at Ray White.

James spoke about cultural differences and the learnings gained from a 30,000 person piece of research on the subtle but significant differences in the Australian workplace culture. Thank you Ronald van Weezel (Hilton Sydney) and James Michael for your cooperation!

And a big thank you to our Corporate Members:

Achmea Australia

Deloitte

​Heineken

HIlton Sydney

ING Direct

Rabobank

Randstad Australia

Veldhoen+Company

​We really appreciate your support and collaboration. We are looking forward to see you all soon at one of our events again.

Breakfast at Randstad: Do you have the need for speed?

Tuesday 21 March 2017

ONLY TWO SPOTS LEFT

As an official partner of Williams Martini Racing since 2006, Randstad provides Dutchlink and our members the opportunity to enjoy a fun filled morning where guests will race a famous track in a F1 simulator car!

Frank Ribuot, CEO of Randstad Australia, will welcome us and give an insight into Randstad's sponsorship of the Formula 1 Racing Team.

Chris Murray, Head of Marketing at Williams Martini Racing, will share interesting facts about the Williams team and his knowledge of the sport. Chris will tell stories from his many years of working with the Williams drivers and teams; the characters which make this adrenaline-pumping sport the spectacle that it is. Chris will share his expectations for the 2017 Australia Formula One Grand Prix starting in Melbourne that week and you will have the chance to ask him all your burning F1 questions during the Q&A.

Following the presentations, guests will have the opportunity to race each other in two F1 simulator cars for the fastest lap and (almost) feel the adrenaline of taking it to the edge – driving a Williams F1 car.

The scoreboard will record the lap times and a podium ceremony will honour the drivers achieving the 3 fastest lap times, after which prizes will be handed out by racing team officials.

Please note this is an exclusive invitation and for Dutchlink members only. There is limited space available so please RSVP by sending an e-mail to office@dutchlink.com.au

Throwback Thursday

Thanks to Achmea Australia for having us at their office in Darling Harbour! On the 15th of February, we learned about the journey of Achmea Australia: From 'scratch without an office' to '30 people in the office and 30 people in the field.'

Thanks to Math Creemers for sharing his story and Michelle Barker for organising the nibbles and drinks! And of course to all attendees, we hope to see you on our next event on 8 March.

Did you study at Utrecht University?

A delegation of the Dutch Utrecht University (UU) will be visiting Sydney in the second week of April 2017. With this mission, they will kick off a cooperation between UU and the University of Sydney.

Utrecht University would like to invite all Utrecht University graduates in and around Sydney to be part of this moment. Share your contact information with the UU Alumni Office to make sure you receive the official invitation.

More information on international alumni relations of Utrecht University is available here.

Time for a passport renewal?

On a yearly basis, the Consulate-General of the Netherlands in Bondi Junction accepts over 5.000 passport and visa applications. The Consulate-General is the only place in Australia where you can renew your passport. Since our staff would like to help everyone coming from all over Australia as efficiently as possible, you will have to make an appointment using this link.

The passport application will be sent to the Netherlands for further processing and printing. This process takes about 4 weeks. In case of urgency, this process can be shortened to 2 weeks at an additional cost of approximately 71.40 AUD depending on currency rates.

The new passport for adults has a validity of ten years. The passport for minors (under 18) still has a validity of five years. Only have Dutch citizenship? Please bring your proof of valid stay in Australia.

Nowadays, the Australian Department of Immigration of Border Protection does not provide visa labels in passports anymore. However, for a Dutch passport renewal you have to bring proof of valid stay in Australia, a so called VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online). You can obtain a (free) VEVO by going to https://www.border.gov.au/Busi/Visa or call 131881. You need your current passport number and visa grant number as provided by the Australian immigration.

Possible loss of Dutch citizenship? Under the current Nationality Act (1 April 2003) an adult who voluntarily acquires the Australian nationality will lose his/her Dutch nationality except in the following cases:

If you were born in Australia;

If you, before you turned 18, lived in Australia for an uninterrupted period of five years; or

If you are married to a person who possesses the Australian nationality.

If you have acquired the Australian nationality after obtaining your last passport consular staff will request additional documentation to prove you belong to one of the above categories. Please check this link if you belong to one of these categories.